Texas City Councilman Tased, Arrested Outside His Home By Same Police Force That Arrested Sandra Bland

Police officers in Prairie View, Texas were shown on video Tasing a Texas councilman who was on his knees with his back turned to them outside of his home Saturday.

Prairie View police officers were questioning three men about alleged drug activity when Councilman Jonathan Miller, 26, reportedly stepped into the conversation, since the men were guests at his home. According to KHOU.com, the men were Miller’s fraternity brothers who were outside of his house to practice a step routine for Homecoming. They were said to be changing their shoes when police officers arrived.

One of the police officers, Officer Penny Goodie, was involved in the arrest of Sandra Bland, who was found hanging in her jail cell in July. Goodie was reportedly the first officer on scene at Miller’s home, when she pulled up to question the men about what she described as “little girls and little guys in the car doing whatever,” which led to her “investigation.”

Video of the incident shows Miller asking an officer not to put his hands on him, telling the cop, “I live here.”

“I’m not trying to be combative,” he is heard telling cops before his arrest. A cop then immediately tells him to “go over here” before he is “charged with interfering.”

A male and female officer are then heard telling Miller to put his hands behind his back. Miller is then heard screaming and falls to the ground.

A video shot by Brandon Wilson, a friend of Miller’s, shows Miller on his knees, with his back turned and his hands at his sides. When he did not immediately put his hands behind his back, Miller is Tased and falls to the ground in pain.

Miller was charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties. He was booked at the Waller County Jail, which is the same jail where Sandra Bland was found dead following her arrest. He was later released on bond.

Miller spoke to KHOU following his release and said he wants to have “a conversation” with the officers.

“It went from me asking questions, to me basically being put facedown on the ground,” he said. “Usually I would think if you’re Tasing somebody, it’s somebody that’s running from the cops, somebody that’s trying to inflict harm on somebody, not somebody that’s on their knees with their arms by their sides.”

Prairie View Police Chief Larry Johnson said he did not see anything that would make him question the officers’ conduct and that they would not be placed on leave since deadly force was not used.

Watch Roland Martin, the NewsOne Now panel and Brandon X. Woodson, Councilman Jonathan Miller’s fraternity brother that recorded the the incident discuss the Prairie View police officers’ use of force against Miller.